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Ringu Director: Hideo Nakata Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen Format: Color, Widescreen, Dolby Audience Rating: Unrated Running Time: 100 minutes Studio: Universal Studios Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2003-03-04 Buy from Amazon |
 "The orignal Japanese theatrical film of the "cursed video""By the time I saw "The Ring" I was aware that the 2002 film was based on this 1998 Japanese film, which in turn was a remake of an earlier television project that was based on a book. However, for most of us this movie is as far back as we are going to be able to follow the trail. The main thing is to warn you not to watch "Ringu" and "The Ring" (or "The Ring" and "Ringu") back to back. I made that mistake with "La Femme Nikita" and "Point of No Return" and would hate for anybody to do a repeat with another set of Foreign Original/American Remake. For that matter, do not watch "The Ring" and "FearDotCom" back to back. Wait a while (say, oh, I don't know, seven days...). The story revolves around an urban legend about videotape: if you watch it, you die seven days later. That is apparently what happened to four young friends, although reporter Reiko Asakawa (Nanako Matsushima) finds this hard to believe. But then she watches the tape and the clock has started ticking. Leaving her precocious son at home, she is aided by her ex-husband in uncovering the mystery of the videotape. Is there a rationale explanation behind this videotape of death? Not in the real world sense, but there are rules to the game in "Ringu" and as with "The Ring" the most interesting part is how the reporter unravels the vague clues found in the bizarre images on the videotape in her race to save her life (and those of others). You can make your own judgment as to whether or not the payoff is worth the journey; in that sense "Ringu" reminds me of "Apocalypse Now," where the journey was so great that the payoff could not possible be as good as what we anticipated. I think most American viewers will have a preference for "The Ring" over "Ringu," and not just because they would not have to deal with reading subtitles ("Ringu" is not dubbed, nor does it appear likely that it ever will be). Most of Reiko's key scenes involve a minimum of dialogue and rely more on the look of horror on her face, so it is not like you are really distracted by reading anything at key moments. You will probably be struck by the more minimalist use of humor in this film. But "The Ring" is basically "Ringu" crossed with a Nine Inch Nails music video (you know exactly which one I have in mind), although this refers more to the images on the videotape. The American version has more images, which are more bizarre, and a bigger budget for making the climax gorier. Of course it is difficult not to always be comparing the two films when you watch "Ringu," but you will at least find it interesting. How many Japanese horror movies have you seen lately? How many of you have seen a Japanese film that was not anime or Akira Kurosawa? You should be watching those ("Spirited Away" and "Grave of the Fireflies" for the former, "Rashomon" and "Seven Samurai" for the latter), but you should be checking out films like "Ringu" as well.  "The surprisingly unique Japanese film that inspired The Ring"I loved The Ring, and I had been looking forward to seeing the original Japanese adaptation of the film, based on the novel by Koji Suzuki, for some time. I was especially pleased to see the Japanese film released with English subtitles rather than voice dubbing, since this helps preserve the original atmosphere of the film. Both Ringu and The Ring are superb, dark, creepy films, very similar yet very different from one another. Inevitably, whichever film you watch first will probably be your favorite of the two. Ringu starts out very much like its American counterpart, with two young girls alone in a house discussing the rumors going around about a video that somehow kills you seven days after you watching. The aunt of the first victim is a reporter who begins to investigate the story of the tape, soliciting the help of her somewhat inscrutable ex-husband, and soon finding herself in an incredible fight to save the lives of herself, her ex, and her creepy little boy. At this point, Ringu begins to distinguish itself from The Ring, although both follow the same general plot through to the end. Perhaps the biggest difference between Ringu and The Ring is the contents of the mysterious videotape. In Ringu, the cursed tape is much shorter and far less symbolic, although its grainy appearance and comparative simplicity add a greater dash of realism to it. The tape presented in The Ring is much more frightening and visceral; subtlety rules the day in the Japanese film. Another significant difference concerns the character of the reporter's ex-husband; in Ringu, he (as well as his son, to some degree) possesses a gift that distinguishes him from his American counterpart. This aids the plot along, but it deprives the viewer of some of the mystery and insight gained from watching the mystery unfold in The Ring. Ringu's storyline is much more compact and straightforward, providing us with much less insight into the forces at play in explaining the existence of the cursed video. There is one jolting plot twist in the later stages of The Ring that is not found in Ringu, and I think this takes a little something away from the concluding drama, but Ringu definitely delivers a much more frightening, completely unforgettable climax. The big scene with the little girl climbing out of the well is pretty darned creepy in The Ring, but Ringu's presentation of this seminal event is many times more impressive and frightening; I only wish I could have seen the scene from Ringu before I saw The Ring. It is spooky enough as it is, but I can only dream about the impact the scene might have on those with no previous knowledge of what is about to happen. What The Ring accomplishes pretty impressively with a type of trick photography is expressed naturally in The Ring, making it much more eerie and unsettling. If you did see and enjoy The Ring, I would definitely recommend getting a copy of Ringu. The knowledge you already have will diminish the impact Ringu has on you, but there are enough differences between the two films to guarantee you a thoroughly enjoyable return trip into this most special world of fear. If you are debating which version to see first, I would recommend starting out with Ringu, if for no other reason than for the power of the much creepier ending. I prefer The Ring's more elaborate and symbolic presentation, more in-depth background into the story of the tape, and added plot twists to the less elaborate presentation of Ringu, but the fact that the American film adds new elements to the plot makes The Ring more engaging for those having already seen Ringu than Ringu is for those having already seen The Ring. "Recomended"If you've seen the Ring and loved it, buy this. If you haven't seen the Ring, watch this first! While the Ring was a wonderful movie I'm not sure it did this one justice. The story is much different than the American one, so much so that I can assure a few suprises. Ringu clearly had a lower budget than the Ring but it hardly matters. With very little violence or special effects they manage to keep you on the edge of your seat (the voice in the tape got me a few times and I was already expecting it). This DVD is a great addition to any collection (though an extra or two would have been nice). If you enjoy the DVD I must also recommend looking into the original novel ^-~. "Much better than the remake"Hollywood seems to have lost the ability to make a decent horror flick in recent years. Japan, however, does an exceptional job of turning out high-quality, moody horror. Ringu is a perfect example of this. Subdued and moody, Ringu is one of the spookiest movies I've seen in years. Seeing the buzz generated by it and its sequels, Hollywood decided it could do a better job, bought the rights, and threw out a hack version of a truly enjoyable film. Ringu works because of its subtlety and atmosphere. While some may be turned off by the supernatural/psychic aspects, they work within the scope of the movie. Both Ringu and The Ring made my skin crawl, but for much different reasons--Ringu, because it worked so well, and The Ring because it didn't. The DVD is barebones, but the movie and chills are worth the price.  "Not as good as "The Ring," but still Chilling."As an American teenager, I [not surprisingly] saw "The Ring" first and was so impressed with it that I later rented and viewed "Ringu." While in "The Ring," almost every second of the movie is eerie and frightening in some way, only certain moments of "Ringu" did I find to be absolutely terrifying. Now, we must understand that because this film was created first, its makers receive the credit for the whole "cursed film that kills you in seven days by a creepy girl in a well" concept. Also, it had the tough job of laying the foundation for such a story. When "Ringu" was adapted into "The Ring," it was elaborated on and made scarier. Since I saw "The Ring" first, it's no shock or disappointment to me that this one didn't scare me quite as much. After "The Ring," I honestly wasn't expecting it. I don't think I'll ever see a scarier movie than "The Ring." "Ringu" begins much the same way; a strange little boy, his mother, and his father-who-doesn't-act-like-a-father are the stars. The boy's female teenage cousin is killed by the tape. The mother investigates and watches it herself--unwittingly committing suicide. Almost, that is. From there, however, the details are far different. The video in "Ringu" is less than half as long as the one in "The Ring" and is at least thirty times less chilling and upsetting. It contains few of the same images; no flies, no spinning chair, no ladder. We see only the woman brushing her hair in the mirror, some rather large men, a person with a white cap on their head, and the well. Few of these images are clearly explained (which isn't a problem, since it leaves some mystery to the imagination), but after the video in "The Ring," it was slightly disappointing. The story goes that a good psychic woman (Anna Morgan's counterpart) has a daughter who is an evil psychic who kills people just by wishing their death. Her name is Sadako (in the new version, Samara). Her mother commits suicide. Her father pushes her down the well. She creates the video and begins spreading her wrath through it. None of the terrifying images in "The Ring"'s grainy, bluish-tinted video would make sense in "Ringu." Nor do they ever stretch the tape and pull out a living creature. Nosebleeds and scribbled-out faces play no part in "Ringu." Blurry photographs and reflections do. Some elements were kept the same, others were altered. Like I said, some parts of this movie were just not as suspenseful. Others, like Sadako's attack of Ryuji (Asakawa, the main character's, ex-husband, and Yoichi, the little boy's, father), are very, very scary indeed. Sadako is every bit as menacing as Samara. Her eye is even scarier than Samara's--however, once out of the TV, she does not have the "digital", grainy, bluish appearance of the video. Once dead, the victims in "Ringu" simply look afraid, and dead. They don't have that gnarly, twisted, revolting look they were given in the later movie. But again, this was the foundation, not the elaboration, and I respect that. Yoichi had a smaller role than did Aidan. He was not as "in-tune" with Sadako as Aidan was with Samara. There was no ranch, no horses, no ladder or barn for him to know about. The music and scenery were also less frightening than in "The Ring." Sadako's mother was very interested in the sea, for some not-very-significant reason. Down in the well, Asakawa and Ryuji try to lift the curse. (They find her fingernails, stuck in the sides from climbing out.) They find Sadako's body. Of course, it turns out that Ryuki still must die; the only way to save yourself is to copy the tape and show it to someone else. Overall, this movie was pleasing, enjoyable, and most of all: scary! But, I would have liked it more if was longer, more detailed, and dealt with more symbols. Even though Rachel's quest in "The Ring" was very well-explained and almost seemed simple to figure out, it didn't come across that way. And honestly, in this film it wasn't any more difficult to find the well or figure anything out. The main characters just didn't get led around in a big circle during the mystery. There was one part that made little sense: Ryuji sits in the park, sees a pair of woman's feet in white shoes, and asks, "Was it you? Did you do this?" or something. It wasn't terribly scary and didn't fit in. So basically, this movie gets the credit for starting the whole "Ring" story. But it could have stood to be better--and then an adapted version might not have been necessary. For example, we could have seen more of Sadako's story. We see Samara being interviewed at the hospital. We also see Becka, the dead cousin's friend, in a mental hospital. I know I've been comparing the two movies this whole time. But doing so is necessary to review "Ringu"! |
